Parker making his point

Snubbed by the fans who chose the starters for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game and by the Western Conference coaches who selected the reserves, Spurs point guard Tony Parker has used the stretch run of the season to remind the basketball-loving world that he remains among the league’s best point guards.

Second on the Spurs to fellow guard Manu Ginobili in scoring (17.8 points per game for Ginobili to 17.4), Parker understands it is unlikely that either he or Ginobili will make first-, second- or third-team All-NBA this season, even if the Spurs finish with the league’s best record.

There is no official recognition of such status, but where does Parker rank among the league’s point guards?

Some of the most telling statistics make a strong case that he is one of the top four at one of the game’s most important positions.

Here is a statistical breakdown of the game’s best at the point. The figure in parentheses indicates the rank among elite point guards. Players are not listed by order of merit: